Halo
by Twinkle.Twinkel
Summary: Set during the 4th shinobi war. Spoiler alert. Looking back she should have been more respectful, he was her commander after all, but in her worry all manners and properties were forgotten as she ripped open the flaps that made up the tents entrance.


Hello everyone, this was just a little idea that has been rattling around my head since episode 261. When I uploaded my last story I received complaints that it was purely smut without plot. I agree it was, however if you are not enjoying my story then the back button is at the top of your browser, I am not holding you hostage and your free to leave when ever you wish. Also I apologise for love affair with comers.

Note: I originally intended this story to be longer and include a lemon, however life got in the way and I lost my passion to finish it. I am uploading what I have already written and allow you all to voice your opinion on whether or not I should continue. Also I know it was intention for the war to be dealt with in a single day, however I don't think that is realistic, therefor I have changed this detail of the storyline though everything else is the same.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

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Wiping her brow she straightened up, the stream of injured shinobi just didn't seem to end. The war had been going on for months now and even the most resilient and hopeful shinobi were beginning to show the strain from long hours of watch duty and the constant threat of attack.

However Sakura was a Kunoichi, she was part of the famous Team Seven, apprentice to the Hokage herself, and one of the greatest medical ninja of her time; for these reasons alone she continue on and not lose hope. She needed to keep a brave face for all the wounded in her care who were injured in the front line performing their duty to their village, only to be healed and sent out to battle again. She needed to keep the hope of victory alive in not just her injured comrades but also her fellow medics who, were also beginning to despair from being surrounded by death and blood and tormented allies, needed someone to keep their moral high and to carry on their duty and not be dragged down by frustration and uselessness.

But for the most part she needed to keep the will of fire alive in him, their fearless leader of the third division; Commander Kakashi Hakate of the Sharingan.

_Kakashi- Sensei._

Shaking her head in attempt to clear her thoughts, Sakura tidied away the last of her medical equipment ready for the night shift medics to relieve her of her post for the day. She had started her shift at dawn, barely stopping to gulp down a quick lunch before patching up more ailing comrades.

"Ah! Haruno-san! Good evening." She was so distracted by her thoughts she hadn't heard the young medic enter. The young medic before her looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place his name. Being head medic of the day shift (Sakura and Shizune decided to split the responsibility of leadership while Sakura was still in camp, when she headed out to the front lines Shizune will take over completely) she had been surrounded by faces of both familiar people and strangers, after a while they all seemed to blend together. Wasn't that just a little depressing?

"Good evening to you too." Flashing him her brightest smile and dipping into a quick bow. A goofy smile stretched across the male medics face as his cheeks began to redden.

_'Great, another fan boy, just what I need at a time like this. Maybe I should just stop smiling at people.' _Sakura sweat dropped and scratched the back of her head trying not to betray the awkwardness she felt.

**'Stop being so stuck up and enjoy it; we never got this kind of attention back in the village!' **Her inner, ever the voice of reason, protested.

_'That's because back home we weren't bringing someone back from the brink of death every five minutes.' _Sakura huffed._ 'Their affections aren't for us personally it's for what they preserve us to be; healer's, saviours or whatever.'_

**'Saviours? Getting a bit big headed aren't we?' **Sassed her inner.

_'You know what I mean! Their feelings are not genuine love; its misplaced gratitude or anxiety. Their basically searching for a something to continue fighting for, something that makes them human again- not just tools of war.' _

**'If that's the case then let me ask you this, oh mighty saviour, how is that any different to what your doing?' **

Damn her inner had a point. What were she and Kakashi doing? What was she to him? She didn't know the answers and part of her didn't even want to know. War does strange things to people; it builds friendships or destroys them completely. Draws the most unlikely of people together and pushes others into irrational and hasty decisions.

"How has things been here at the base?" The male medic-nin asked finally recovering from his swooning.

"Oh, you know; the usual. A few stab wounds here, a couple of broken ribs there. There have mostly been minor injuries but a lot of them, though watch out for bed 19; he's tried to die on me three times today. I've told him he's not allowed to die just yet but he doesn't quite get the message." She flashed her smile again trying to keep things as light hearted as possible while rounded by sick and injured shinobi as she passed over today's reports.

"Will do Haruno-san, good night" The medic-nin gave a small lopsided smile in return before giving a quick bow and proceeded to read the reports.

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Sakura slowly walked through the maze of tents that make up the living accommodations of the third division recruits; this had become a nightly routine for her and her feet took her to her intended destination without much thought.

It had all started the night the assassinations began, after Sakura was attacked by 'Neji' she practically tore the camp apart looking for her sensei. She found him in his tent at the very back of the camp; it should have been obvious really which tent was his, what with Gai-sensei in the smaller tent next to it shouting something about youth and all things green. At least she didn't have to worry about Gai-sensei being an imposter; nobody could fake such enthusiasm least of all a white Zetsu clone.

Looking back she should have been more respectful, he was her commander after all, but in her worry all manners and properties were forgotten as she ripped open the flaps that made up the tents entrance. She had to make sure he was okay; he was her only boy left. She had come to think of her teammates as 'her boys', and with Sauske's truancy, Naurto's special training/ imprisonment, and Sai being well out of her reach in Kankuro's Commando Unit, Kakashi was her only boy left with in her reach.

It was dark in the tent, the makeshift windows were covered letting only minimal light into the tent and the oil lamp had long ago burned out. If it wasn't for the panel of light streaming in behind her she would have thought the tent was empty save for the heaps of scrolls, maps and weaponry. But the light of the early morning sunrise showed her wrong, her commander was there sitting on his standard issue cot, with his head buried deep in his hands.

His trademark orange book lay forgotten on the floor. The part she remembered most was just how quiet it was in the tent, it was deathly silent with only the sounds of her own ragged breath penetrating the air. Kakashi had remained unmoved by the intrusion, a huge sign of trust in his only female teammate.

It was in this moment Sakura had realized just how heavily the war was weighing down on her commander. In all the years she had spend fighting beside her sensei she had seen him at his best full of (what she had assumed were) lopsided grins, eye squeezes and wise words as he defeated his enemies single handily. But she has also seen him at his lowest; bound and broken in a hospital bed, deathly pale and silent after risking his life in near suicidal missions to protect his village. There were a number of times she had patched him back together herself with the fear that he wasn't going to defy the odds again, but he somehow always pulled through and giving her one of his trademark eye squeezes when he regained consciousness.

But never before had she seen him like that and it broke her heart. When she had regained her bearings she tentatively and slowly stepped towards her sensei, making sure to give him enough time for him to either pull himself together or tell her to leave. But Kakashi stayed completely still aside from his deep even breathing. Knowing Kakashi as she did she had taken this as a good sign; if he didn't want your company he would say so, manners be damned.

As she stood in front of him, Kakashi still remained silent only moving to finally lift his head and curl his hands under is mask covered chin. His forehead protector had been removed leaving only his mask to conceal his face though his scarred eye remained shut and his mismatching coal black eye stared blankly ahead of him. Sakura had, knowing the particular habits and quirks of her commanding officer, simply sat beside him on the cot. She knew Kakashi would talk when he was ready and not before.

They had sat in silence for what had seemed like hours, only once the bell signalling breakfast was rang that Sakura finally moved muttering about how he needed food to keep him healthy and battle ready and that she will bring him breakfast. A small smile had tugged at Kakashi's lips as she had made her way out the tent. She had not asked questions or tried to pry the truth from his lips and for this he was grateful, her presence was all that he needed in terms of comfort. A familiar, warm presence that reminded him exactly why they were fighting this war; to protect the people that were precious to them.

She had gone back to Kakashi every night since the imposter attack, at first they just sat beside each other enjoying the comfort of the others company, however after the first few nights Kakashi began inquiring about how well the shinobi under his command were healing, if there was anything the medics needed, and so on. Eventually he began making opening up about the stresses of being commander, Kakashi had felt guilty easing some of his burden onto his students shoulders, she had enough emotional strain as it was.

Watching your fellow comrades die on the battle field was devastating, but many consoled themselves with the knowledge that they had done their best to save their comrade with what little medical knowledge they knew; most weren't medically trained beyond bandaging a wound or cooling a fever. But Sakura was a med-nin. She was spending her days trying to save dying comrades with all the medical knowledge she had, but that just wasn't enough to save some people. That was the part most heartbreaking for many medical ninja.

However his precious student did not seem to mind his emotional unloading, she had not questioned or commented. She listened to everything he said whether it was directed to her or not. Some times if she had had a particularly bad day she would do her own emotional unloading.

Neither of them could remember the exact moment when they began crossing the boundaries of companionship only that just their companion's presence was not enough anymore. Their need for physical comfort became stronger; just a squeeze of the others hand, a comforting hand on their back, to simply holding each other in the darkness confessing their stress, fears and sins to the night.

As the need for physical comfort grew so did the sexual tension, and one night it all became too much. They gave in to their carnal desires and there was nothing sweet about it, they made mad desperate love to each other, as if terrified the other would disappear by sunrise. Though this was a likely possibility seeing as they were in the middle of a war.

Reaching the faded canvas flaps of the familiar tent Sakura briefly contemplated how slightly worrying it was that her subconscious managed to bring her here. Shaking her head and steeling herself she tugged the tents flaps open and stepped inside.

"Sensei?"

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Thank you to those who managed to read the whole chapter/story it means a lot to me that you didn't get bored and leave. If you would be so kind as to review I would be very grateful.


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